trainer said my pup couldn't be a therapy dog

[Anna]

Buck just finished his puppy training class.  He passed!!  but its kind of like my kids at their tae kwon do classes.  it really doesn't matter how good you were - as long as you paid and came to class - you are gonna get the next colored belt..  So - this puppy classes - as long as  you didn't maul any of your classmates and know how to sit/down - you are gonna pass. 

So after class - i was just chit-chating with the trainer and I just asked a question - how does a dog become a therapy dog.   I'm not saying I want Buck to become one.  But I really do love the concept of helping people feel a little joy in nursing homes, hospitals etc...  

But the trainer told me that - those kinds of dogs are really mellow as puppies and Buck doesn't really have what it takes to become one.

Now - i gotts admit.  Buck tends to be very excited to see people.  he does still try to jump on people and love - playing with anyone.   So I can see - why she would say that Buck couldn't become a therapy dog.   But my question than is - don't all puppies - have that puppy exuberance?   And is this the only indication that they use?  

I'm curious to the - people who have dogs - who visit nursing homes and hospitals.  Did you know from when they were puppies?  How are they different from just normal puppy behavior? 

[Becka]

This is a wonderful and inspiring story. Ruby sounds like the perfect dog.

[Lynne of Fountain Falls]

I have two therapy dogs.  We belong to the SCtherapy dog group.  Tucker was always mellow and needed little in extra training.  Honey on the other hand was pretty hyper as a puppy but settled down well by the time she was 18 months old or so.  She is the best therapy dog ever.  A real favorite for patients in assisted living, special needs camps etc.  You can probably train him if you are serious about wanting to look into it, just contact your local therapy group.  They will be happy to help you get your puppy ready to get trained.  It is really fun and I love it.  The dogs get excited when I get their vests out.

[Jennifer and "Cooper"]

I have had 3 certified therapy dogs all of which I raised and trained from the age of 7-8 weeks old.  (Cooper just passed his Therapy Dog certification and Canine Good Citizen tests last weekend.)  Our Choc. Lab was a typical lab as a puppy.......never ending energy, the attention span of a flea, constantly on the go.  Our boxer only had about half of the lab's energy.  Both of them tested at the same time and passed at the same time.  It is way too early for your trainer to be making a judgement about the potential of your puppy.  All dogs are different when they are puppies than they are as adults.  All puppies are ...........well, puppies.  That is why the Therapy Dog associations have rules regarding how old a dog has to be before it can take the certification test.  Whether or not you pass the test is going to depend on how well trained your dog is, not how hyper your dog is.  Someone could have a dog that has the energy level of a slug but if that dog doesn't reliably sit, stay, come, leave it, heel, etc., it would not (and should not) pass the test.  Also keep in mind that just because a dog passes the test, does not mean they are meant to be a Therapy Dog.  The dog has to have the personality to enjoy the visits and being around unfamiliar people, unfamiliar smells, unfamiliar noises and new situations because no two visits will ever be the same.  I've seen many dogs who are doing visits but you can see by the look in their eyes and their body language (low tail, drooping head, position of their tail) that they are just going through the motions because that is what they have been trained to do.  A therapy dog should enjoy doing visits not just do them because the handler enjoys doing them.  (Sorry for the tangent.)  

Anyhow, if you go to the Therapy Dogs International website, they have a list of the things that are covered on the test so you will have some idea of what kind of behaviors they are looking for and give you more information regarding the types of facilities you can visit.  Also there is a Therapy Dog group here on DK for those who have therapy dogs and those wanting to get their dogs certified.

[Coco Chanel and Cheryl]

Coco jumps to great people and pees when she sees people she knows. She is good with commands, but when we visit my grandma at the assisted living facility, she greets everyone seated, only licks when they ok her to do it, and never jumps on anyone. She is scared of everything at home but goes right up to the wheelchairs and walkers. It's amazing what they can do when put in the situation.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Rooney came to me at 11.5 weeks a very calm puppy.  He gets the zoomies of course but otherwise he is as mellow as it gets, never really acted too much like a puppy.  The first time I took him to class - they all thought he SHOULD be a therapy dog - well he is and he isn't.  He is MY therapy dog!!!!  Stuart on the other hand is out of control crazy!!!  That said - if this is something that interests you - don't you let anyone tell you that you can't.  I believe that Adina is 100% correct, it is in the training.

[Bryce P]

Huff is not a therapy dog but as a puppy he was pretty calm aside from the ocasional zoomie. He is still mellow. I think he would be a good therapy dog, as long as the patient dosen't have the following items:  paper towels, tissues papers, or papers.

[Angie, Hudson and Lily]

Isn't that kinda like telling your child he/she will never be a doctor, dentist, astronaut, etc? How can one really make that determination at such a young age and shut that door? I say if that is something you are interested in, don't give up. Your doodle may calm down as he ages.

[Ginny Nightingale]

I have two therapy dogs with TDI certification--both passed at just over one year of age,(you can't take the TDI test until 1 year old)  but I didn't trust them to go anywhere for another year or so--they were too antsy. They could get through the test, but that was a familiar setting--taking them some olace new would have been harder. Now that they are older (3 and 4 and 1/2) they are more easily adaptable. I would agree that NO ONE should tell you that your puppy is wrong for TD work. It is way too early to tell and there are all kinds of temperaments among the TDs that I know of. It is really about how well you and the dog work together that they test for.  One of my dogs barked at the tester and did the "bowing" thing trying to get her to play--I thought for sure we had failed, but I was able to bring her right back to focusing on me and that was the important part of the test.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Your trainer is nuts...LOL! Our Fudge was a nut in the beginning and now I take her with me where I volunteer and she is the sweetest dog ever with the seniors. Wheelchairs, walkers, people coming at her and she is fine. Our only problem is with the bird cage in the lobby and we avoid it. I even wrote a blog about the difference a year or two made.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/profiles/blogs/fudge-tries-volunteering

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

Webber is TDI certified and he was not a calm puppy.  He just likes to "meet and greet" everyone in the room, the elevator and the parking lot!  I think Adina is right.  The training is so important.  If well trained, and a people lover, the dog should be just fine as a therapy dog.

[Anna]

Thanks guys.

I feel that there is hope for Buck.

I knew - it didn't seem right that the trainer can determine something like that - after spending a short period of time with Buck.   Of course I don't know if Buck can ever become a therapy dog - but i do like knowing that just bc/ he is an excitable puppy right now - doesn't mean he can't be a mellow/obedient dog later on.